Can I freeze soaked+boiled (but not fully cooked) kidney beans?
I soaked too many beans for my chilli, and couldn't fit them all in my slow cooker. The kidney beans were the last to go in due to their need for a hard boil, so they're what's left.
I won't have the chance to use them up in the next few days, so I intend to drain and freeze them. I reckon I can assume they will be safe, so I'm interested in quality - things like:
- Will I need to do anything special to them when I defrost them?
- Are they likely to fall apart (still useful, but for different foods)?
- Will they soften?
Storing rehydrated beans also mentions freezing, but was closed as a duplicate of How long can I store soaked beans before cooking?, which doesn't address freezing at all. So even if this question turns out to be a duplicate, it's not a duplicate of that one.
Best Answer
I tried it, and it worked.
Specifically having frozen the drained, boiled, but still hard beans for a few weeks I deforsted them in the fridge and added them to Dal Makhani, also made in the slow cooker. By the time the black lentils were fully cooked, after several hours on high, the kidney beans were also soft, and split but not falling to bits. So within the tolerance of slow cooking, there was no need to adjust anything.
Pictures about "Can I freeze soaked+boiled (but not fully cooked) kidney beans?"
Can you freeze kidney beans after soaking?
You can freeze soaked beans before you cook them. Simply drain the beans, dry them and then put them in an airtight container in the freezer. They'll last 3 months. You can also freeze them in the soaking liquid, but they'll take a lot longer to defrost.Can you freeze soaked beans before cooking?
Pre Soaked BeansYou can freeze them just after presoaking and draining. A little bit of water wont hurt so you don't have to dry them first. I freeze on a sheet pan for an hour or two in a single flat layer than slide them into a freezer container. I recommend packaging them in meal sized or recipe sized portions.Can you freeze boiled kidney beans?
If you prefer buying your kidney beans in large quantities and cooking them in batches, the good news is that it's really straightforward to freeze them once cooked. That being said, you can also freeze leftover kidney beans from a can if you don't get around to using them all.Can you freeze uncooked kidney beans?
Beans that have been soaked but uncooked prior to freezing will keep fresh for up to 4 months in the freezer. Cooked beans that are frozen will last in the freezer for 6 months or so. Leftover canned kidney beans should keep in the freezer for up to a month.How To Soak And Cook Kidney Beans
Sources: Stack Exchange - This article follows the attribution requirements of Stack Exchange and is licensed under CC BY-SA 3.0.
Images: Hanbo Wang, David Bares, mali maeder, Cup of Couple